CANADA FX DEBT-C$ benefits from greenback's slide

TORONTO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar finished
higher for the first time in three sessions on Thursday as the
greenback slid on growing uncertainty about the size of any
monetary easing program from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The U.S. currency fell in tandem with Treasury yields as
investors reassessed their estimates of how much money the
Federal Reserve was likely to commit to a second round of
monetary stimulus -- widely dubbed "QE2" -- when it meets next
week. [FRX/]

The Canadian dollar CAD=D4 touched a high of C$1.0181 to
the U.S. dollar, or 98.22 U.S. cents, up a U.S. cent from
Wednesday's close at C$1.0287 to the U.S. dollar, or 97.21 U.S.
cents. It ended Thursday up at C$1.0215 to the U.S. dollar, or
97.90 U.S. cents.

John Curran, senior vice president at CanadianForex, a
commercial foreign exchange dealing firm, said the market is
trapped in a "wait and see" mode ahead of the Federal Open
Market Committee meeting next week.

"We're basically waiting to see the size of QE2, how they
plan on rolling out QE2," said Curran, noting the Canadian
dollar has largely been trading in a range of C$1.0180 to
C$1.0340 to the U.S. dollar.

"If we don't get a lot of information on QE2 it may be a
risk-off scenario. It would be get out of risk -- the U.S.
dollar would go up, all the other currencies would go down. Get
out of equities, get out of certain commodities."

The New York Federal Reserve has surveyed bond dealers and
investors on their opinion on the impact of any quantitative
easing program, with the market replying with scenarios for
programs ranging from zero up to $1 trillion. [ID:nLDE69R15M]
[FED/R]

The Canadian dollar's move was based on the broader "U.S.
dollar story," said John Clinkard, chief economist at Deutsche
Bank Canada.

"We're looking at the potential risk of inflation in the
U.S. and that is something that investors are concerned about,"
he said. "When you debase a currency you're basically
increasing the supply of money, and that is creating an
inflationary threat."

The weak U.S. dollar helped to lift commodity prices, which
are typically priced in U.S. dollars. Oil, a key Canadian
export, climbed above $82 a barrel, while gold and base metals
prices were also firmer. [O/R] [GOL/] [MET/L]

Curran said market watchers would be eyeing economic growth
data on both sides of the border early on Friday. Canada will
report August GDP, and in the United States it's third quarter.
[ECON/CA] [ECON/US]

"If things come in line with what we're expecting tomorrow
I would look for the risk-on scenario to be valid and the
Canadian dollar may appreciate a little bit," Curran said.

BONDS FIRMER

Canadian government bond prices were flat to higher,
tracking U.S. Treasuries, but the market remained uneasy as
investors recalibrated U.S. easing expectations. [US/]

Canadian bonds notched a mixed performance across the
curve. The Canadian two-year bond CA2YT=RR was 107 basis
points above the U.S. two-year yield, compared with about 104
basis points above on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Jennifer Kwan; editing by Peter Galloway)